In the midst of the swaying, vast patch of lotus plants, there was a small, low boat.
The sun blazed intensely and, having not brought an umbrella, Gu Youyou plucked a large lotus leaf to hold up as a makeshift one, which effectively shielded her from the sun.
Gu Youyou studied Jin Zijin’s face and said with a low chuckle, "When the time comes, with a beard stuck onto this face, you’ll look almost the same as when you were pretending to be a hunter. Yi Yan said that wearing disguise materials on your face for too long can be uncomfortable. How did you manage to endure it for so many years?"
Jin Zijin plucked a lotus pod and placed it back on the boat, murmuring, "It was very uncomfortable at first, so I didn’t look like that when I initially arrived at Lotus Village. But after a while, I got used to it."
Thinking about how difficult those years must have been for him living alone in the mountains, Gu Youyou pondered for a moment before saying, "When I first met you, I often acted foolishly, thinking maybe you were after my dowry."
As Jin Zijin diligently picked more lotus pods, hearing Gu Youyou say that, he paused for a moment, then sat down in the boat, motioning her to come closer to him.
He gazed into her eyes, which shimmered like clear springs, rippling like the water beneath the boat.
He found his voice growing hoarse as he spoke softly, "It’s quite normal for you to think like that. If I had truly been a poor hunter and wanted to quickly earn money to marry a wife to bear children, the easiest and fastest way would have been to marry you, wait for you to die, and then sell off your belongings."
Gu Youyou was not a shy girl prone to blushing. She responded with a loving gaze, her breath sweet as orchids, "You weren’t really a hunter, but you’ve still made a profit. Not only am I alive and well, I can make silver, and... whenever you want to have children, you can, right?"
She gave him a look that made Jin Zijin feel as if half of his body had turned to mush. The other half was stiff with confusion.
"Youyou!" he reached out to stroke her face.
His voice lowered, "Indeed, we’re not young anymore. Most women your age already have two or three children."
Gu Youyou: "..." The tender atmosphere was abruptly tainted by his words.
She brushed off the hot hand from her face in irritation, cursing, "Pick the lotus pods, just keep picking the lotus pods. They’re needed for the pot!"
Jin Zijin sheepishly straightened up.
"You’re angry again, you really are capricious."
"That’s because you’re annoying!" Gu Youyou retorted, "It’s not us who are not young, it’s you. In a year or two, you’ll be reaching the age of adulthood, right? Most men at your stage already have a brood of children."
She couldn’t hold back her need to retort, could she?
Yue Rujing often said she was quick-witted and sharp-tongued, and he wasn’t wrong.